SpiderFox
by Aikuchi Shikaku
Summary: AU. This is a WHAT IF story. what if Naruto's mother was from the same clan as Kidoumaru? Read to find out! Please review. Naru/Ino. Adopted from Nezumimaru, formerly written by Nezumimaru and SkippingZombie.
1. Who is this boy?

SpiderFox

SpiderFox

Story by Nezumimaru

Written by SkippingZombie

Adopted by Aikuchi Shikaku

Chapter 1 "Who is this boy?"

Disclaimer: SZ-Any similarity to the series Naruto is purely coincidental. I mean- Naruto doesn't belong to us, but we love it enough to write about it. He (Naruto) should be flattered.

N-True, true. I'd be. Oh, and Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sama. So no suing, not that you'd win anyway.

_AS – Ok, as you know, I've adopted this fic from Nezumimaru and SkippingZombie. This was a good fic, and I hope I can continue to do good justice to their work. This is still their version, with a few touch-ups and some editing by me. Nevertheless, I'll indicate where I added some major editing via __**bold italics**_ with this break: _**AS**__. I'm going to abide by their chapter lengths, but expect some chapters to be a bit longer. Expect some more editing as I touch up the chapters._

Legend:

Normal Text

_Thoughts_

**Jutsu**

_**Kyuubi/Other**_

--

The situation was bleak. This was definitely not your typical C-ranked mission. But the old man who had given Squad 7 the task of guarding him had pretty much blackmailed them into staying the course of the mission by telling them about his grandson, his daughter, Wave Country's financial status, and their inability to pay for a B-ranked mission, and so on…

But even Kakashi was surprised when Zabuza showed himself.

"Your path ends here, Kakashi of the Sharingan."

Kakashi stared straight ahead at the strange ninja blocking the path. He instantly recognized him for who he was. He gestured for Sakura and Sasuke to move in around Tazuna, then crouched low and prepared himself for a fight.

"Zabuza, the rogue ninja from the Hidden Village of Mist. I suppose Gato hired you as well? Sakura, Sasuke, do not leave Tazuna for any reason. This fight is far beyond your training. I'll tackle him myself." said the ex-ANBU captain as he raised the headband covering his left eye, exposing his sharingan.

"Oh? To see the sharingan this early, what an honor! However, strong words should never be spoken when they cannot be backed up by power. I will prove to be more than a match for you, Kakashi."

The four travelers watched as Zabuza created a mist thick enough to hide his appearance.

Sasuke felt his body shudder in fear. He couldn't move one inch. The killing intent was too great! He began to shiver uncontrollably. He could barely make out the form of Kakashi in front of him.

"Protect Tazuna! He'll come after me first." Kakashi scanned the fog with his one normal eye and his Sharingan.

"Wrong."

Zabuza appeared abruptly directly behind Sakura and Sasuke, facing Tazuna. But Kakashi was ready for this, and moved with pinpoint accuracy and sent Zabuza flying into a tree. The mist jutsu fell, and Zabuza stood back up, smiling. Kakashi moved to face him.

"Not bad, I should have known that you'd be prepared. But let's see how you handle this!" Zabuza splashed apart, and reappeared behind Kakashi almost instantly.

"A water clone**!**" yelled Sakura. But Kakashi was ready for this as well. As Zabuza slashed into him, it became apparent that he too was using a water clone. He abruptly reappeared behind Zabuza. A brief skirmish and locking of blades commenced until Kakashi was forced into lake's waters.

"Not good enough" Said Zabuza mockingly, for he had maneuvered Kakashi right where he wanted him.

Kakashi found himself standing on water, and wasn't able to move fast enough to avoid-

"**Water Prison jutsu!"**

Several clear sheets of water shot up to form a sphere around Kakashi, binding him inside. Zabuza supported the prison with his arm.

"**Water clone jutsu!"** Another water clone appeared, and moved towards the remaining three travelers. "This clone only has one tenth the strength of myself, but that should be plenty to dispose of you pests." Zabuza's clone moved up to Sasuke.

"What is it with you? Picking on kids and old men? I suppose I need to teach you a lesson."

This voice didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular. Unexpectedly, an arrow was shot from a nearby tree, and Zabuza's water clone was killed.

"Show yourself!" Zabuza hissed.

A strangely dressed boy jumped down from the tree. He was clad in a black muscle shirt, baggy orange pants, and a cloth headband and had sun-kissed yellow hair. From his torso protruded not two but six arms. He looked very much like a spider in this way, and he didn't appear to be any older than Sasuke or Sakura. This strange boy brushed off his pant legs and strode over to Zabuza.

"Insolent brat! I'll finish you!" Zabuza threw several kunai at this boy, but they only got stuck in a log that had been used in a Substitution Jutsu. In his rage, Zabuza had overlooked the real position of the strange kid. He jumped up from the water on which Zabuza was standing and stabbed him in the side with a kunai of his own.

"GRAAAAAAAA!" Zabuza dropped the Water Prison and clutched his side in agony. The brat had poisoned it with some kind of burning serum!

Kakashi landed next to the two members of squad 7, and watched the boy work.

The spider boy's jaws then expanded, using 4 of his arms, reached inside his mouth and spun a white-colored web across his hands and bound Zabuza's wrists together, and then, after spinning a large glob of silk, formed hand seals and cried, **"Secret Ninja Art: Spider Web Net!"**, turning the glob into a large spider web, trapping the missing-nin in it. He then showed great disrespect for the enemy by hanging him upside down from a nearby tree.

"YOU! I Will Destroy… you… brat…I…" Zabuza made a gurgling sound, and then lost consciousness

"Did I mention that the poison on my kunai will knock you out for around ten hours?" The boy laughed at the not so tough ninja and then turned to face the others. Kakashi then covered his sharingan as he looked at the boy with his normal eye.

"While I appreciate your help, would you mind telling us what you are doing here?" Kakashi moved to the boy and extended his hand, which the boy shook in a friendly manner.

"It was pure coincidence that I saved you guys. I was just after Zabuza, he has quite a bounty on his head you know." The strangely colored boy gripped Kakashi's hand, and then turned to face the unconscious Zabuza. "QUITE a bounty too, I am going to eat well for a while. I wonder how much this guy is worth in ramen." the boy commented as he turned towards his catch, rubbing his six hands together. The copy nin raised his only exposed eyebrow in question.

"You're a bounty hunter?"

"Yeah, I've been tracking Zabuza for quite some time."

Their conversation was interrupted by a longhaired ninja wearing a white mask.

"I'm afraid you won't be cashing in anytime soon." This new threat slashed through the web suspending Zabuza, and then proceeded to hoist the limp body up on his or her shoulders. "This body contains way too much information for me to let you have it."

"Hey! Get your own! I took him down fair and square! Find your own bounty!" the boy yelled flailing all six arms around.

Kakashi placed a hand on the six-armed boy's shoulder. "This isn't a bounty hunter, kid. This guy is a hunter-nin. He was probably sent after Zabuza just like you were. His responsibility is to make sure that the secrets of this body are not revealed."

"I know what a hunter-nin is, you dolt! Look, he's getting away!" It was true; the hunter had fled the scene in a hurry, carrying the body of Zabuza.

"Dammit! This sucks!" The six-armed boy pouted and seated himself on a stump nearby, crossing his legs and arms. "Now what do I do?"

"I have a question myself. Who are you?" Kakashi stared at the boy who looked familiar somehow. Kakashi couldn't quite place it however, and dismissed the thought.

"My name is Naruto Kumo-oni, the spider ninja." The boy stood up and paced over to where the others were idling. "Who are you? You're obviously ninja from the village hidden in the leaves. And that's the ancient bridge-builder from near here, right?"

Tazuna was about to yell at the smart-tongued boy, but Kakashi spoke first. "You are correct; we are escorting this man, Tazuna. We shall not tell you more, however."

"Fine by me, I know how secretive a ninja village can be. It's probably boring anyway. Who are these baby faced kids?"

"Who're you calling baby faced?! You can't be any older than us!" yelled Sakura, still recovering from the shock of the battle. "I'm Sakura, and this is Sasuke. And we could beat you down any day!"

"Care to try?" Naruto beckoned with his hand.

"Cut it out Sakura. Thank you for assisting us Naruto." Kakashi bowed slightly.

"It was no problem, honestly. But, something doesn't sit right with this whole thing…" Naruto cupped his hand under his chin, thinking. After a moment, he looked up suddenly.

"I've got it! That guy couldn't have been a hunter! He didn't dispose of the body onsite! He must have been rescuing Zabuza, not hunting him!"

Kakashi looked stunned. "He didn't do his procedure correctly, that's definitely true. You could be right, Naruto."

"That means…" Sasuke began. Zabuza would be back! Sasuke shivered remembering the mist that had been so intimidating. Would they fight him again?

"At least this means his bounty is still up for grabs." Naruto threw a fist into the air. Then the silence was cut by a loud grumble from his stomach. "Uggh. I haven't eaten all day. Where can I get some food?"

Tazuna moved to the front of the group. "I suppose you can accompany us to my home. I'll feed you. But if you dare call me ancient one more time…"

"Alright, I won't. Thanks Tazuna!"

Naruto spun on his heel and began to follow the traveling ninja to their destination.

"This should be interesting," mumbled Sakura.

--

SkippingZombie- Not bad for chapter one, eh? This is my first Naruto fiction, written up for my good friend Nezumimaru. If you can read this- review!!

Nezumimaru- Special Thanks to SkippingZombie for helping me flesh out this story. If you haven't already, you should look up his works. Find him in my Favorite Authors list. Please review. More chapters will be up as soon as SZ is done with them.

Aikuchi Shikaku – Not much to read, eh? Don't worry because the story's going to pick up sooner or later. For those who were anticipating updated chapters for my 1st fic, Balance of Three: Three Doujutsu, I've put it on indefinite hiatus until I pick it up again. Sorry, guys.


	2. Naruto the Bounty Hunting Spider

Spider-Fox

Spider-Fox

Story by Nezumimaru

Written by SkippingZombie

Adopted by Aikuchi Shikaku

Chapter 2: "Naruto, the Bounty Hunting Spider"

Disclaimer: SZ-I think it is blatantly obvious that Naruto belongs to somebody else.

N-You'd know if we own it.

_AS-Still some minor editing here and there. That's it. _

--

Tazuna brought in another basket of rolls, which Naruto was eager to devour. The ninja in the room had a hard time explaining where he stored all of the food he was consuming. Sakura had been planning to use the meal as a chance to get the strange boy to explain more about himself. She was having a hard time getting him to talk, however, considering his mouth was already full. But even Sasuke had to admit that Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, was one hell of a cook.

"Ish thish hromade grvy?" Naruto asked while the gravy in question dribbled down his chin, causing Sakura and Sasuke to grimace in disgust. Tsunami smiled, glad to have another person to appreciate her cooking.

"Why, yes, it is. My son, Inari helped make it earlier this morning. He should be around somewhere. I might have to save him a plate for later, though."

"That boy is always running off. But he'll turn up." Tazuna seated himself back down and watched the others eat; mostly Naruto. The spider-like limbs seemed to come in handy at mealtimes.

"So… Naruto." Sakura waited for an opening in the devouring. "Why were you targeting Zabuza?"

"Wasn't it out of your way to come to Wave Country? You don't appear to be from near here." Kakashi added this as he took a roll from the rapidly diminishing basket.

"Well, I was originally after a guy named Rokusho Aoi, a missing-nin from your village, by the way. I'm not too sure of the details, but he stole a sword of some sorts. After I got his head, I decided that since I was in the area, I might see if I could grab Zabuza too. As I mentioned before, he's accumulated quite a tag."

"So how long have you-" Kakashi began before he was cut off by Sakura.

"What did you do with the head? Surely you aren't dragging it along with you?"

Naruto swallowed an enormous bite, and replied, "No, no. I have it sealed in a scroll, of course. Why would I carry a head around?"

Kakashi tried again. "How long have you been a bounty hunter?"

"'Bout two years. Zabuza is the biggest bounty I've ever gone after. Aoi wasn't so easy either. Aren't you going to ask the most obvious question?"

"What's that?" asked Sakura.

"About my appearance of course." Naruto did a wave-like gesture with all six arms. "Aren't you exploding with curiosity?"

"Are you going to tell us, or what?" Sasuke looked uninterested, but inwardly he was eager to find out if Naruto was someone he can 'measure his capacity' to.

"Of course I'm going to tell you! I've practiced this speech! So many people ask me about my arms, I've rehearsed my answer! And it's quite a tale, too."

Naruto pushed his plate back, and began weaving the tale of his birth, and his tragedies.

"I was about two when this happened, so most of this was told to me by my Clan-brother, Kidoumaru."

"There was a clan of nasties that hung around near Kirigakure, the Hidden Mist Village. They were called the Kaguya clan. Nothing but a bunch of savages they were. They killed anyone that was in their way. They mostly hit the surrounding areas, but on one occasion, they went directly after Kirigakure."

"So the shinobi were called in, and they cleaned them all up. They were all exterminated. Every last man, woman, and child"

"But that wasn't enough for those in control; they were worried about corruption in other nearby clans. So they began what they called 'Bloodline Crusades'. They 'purged' the entire country of any threatening clans. My clan, the Kumo-oni was one of those targeted. Fortunately, Kidoumaru, who was 3 or 4 at the time, found a way to save both him and me. He's never told me how, though."

"We stayed in hiding for almost five years, using false names in a faraway place. We silently trained to become ninja. And one day, the Mizukage stopped hunting. He recalled all of the laws pertaining to the bloodline clans. We became normal citizens again."

"We lived normally for a while, but then we got the urge to travel, to see the world. So we set off to anywhere. But one day, Kidoumaru left me. He told me that it was time to part. We came to a crossroads, and we took different paths."

"Wait, you mean that this Kidoumaru, your brother, just abandoned you? How old were you when you split up?!" Sakura looked astonished.

"Why should that matter? All I know is that we haven't seen each other in over three years now. He's getting a rep with the wrong sort of crowd." Naruto replied wearily.

"So you two are the only survivors? That's sickening!" Sakura shook her head. She didn't see why someone would create something as horrible as the line Crusades. She snuck a look at Sasuke; wasn't he the last of his clan as well? She wasn't sure of the details surrounding him either. And Kakashi was as much a mystery as any of them. She began to wonder how she ended up traveling with such mysterious people.

Sasuke didn't respond, he was deep in thought. 'So, his clan was wiped out and was abandoned by the only other survivor, just like me. He even has the same eyes, the eyes of loneliness and pain, despite the façade he puts on.' Sasuke just continued to watch Naruto gorge himself while trying to avoid Sakura's questions about why this Kidoumaru guy left him.

"I don't mean to be rude, Naruto, but we really need a plan to keep Tazuna safe from Gato and Zabuza while he finishes the bridge." Kakashi looked all around at the five others seated around the table.

"Why don't I just kick Gato's ass? I'll get paid for Zabuza's bounty anyway. And if the old ma- I mean, Tazuna, will give me lodging here, I'll do it for free!"

Tazuna growled. "If you expect me to let you hang about, you had better earn your keep with some major ass-whooping."

"Leave it to me! Gato won't see me coming! I'll take care of him once and for all! I'll be your hero!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air. Suddenly, the door leading outside opened, and Tazuna's grandson stepped in. He was quite a bit younger the Naruto, but fire was gleaming in his eyes.

"You can't do it. Gato is unbeatable. You are just going to die. You are all going to die, don't you understand? There is no such thing as heroes. Go home, you can't help us."

"Inari!" Tsunami shouted. But he was already gone. He had fled upstairs to his room.

Naruto looked at the stairs that Inari took for a few seconds, and then turned to Tazuna and Tsunami. "What's got his panties in a twist?" Tazuna just sighed. "He's….dealing with some emotional issues. I'll tell you later, right now we better get some rest. It's late and we have a lot of work to do tomorrow. I'll show ya to your rooms." Naruto raised his three right hands. "No need, old man. I'll be just fine with this." And with that, he spat out some webbing, and spun a hammock in one of the corners of the living room. "G'Night!" Naruto shouted as his jumped and landed in the hammock, reclining his head on two of his hand, two more together on his stomach and the last two hanging over the sides of the hammock, falling asleep almost instantly.

The others sweat dropped, not believing that one could fall asleep so quickly. Tazuna broke the silence, "Well how 'bout I show the rest of you where you can stay?"

--

SkippingZombie-Yay! Chapter two is done! Life can continue. Oh wait, now we have to wait for chapter three! AAAAAAHHHHHH!

Nezumimaru-………Right……Anywho please review, and we like to know how we are doing.

Aikuchi Shikaku: Just some minor editing here as well, folks. On to chapter 3.


	3. Toll of the Bridge

Spider-Fox

Spider-Fox

Story by Ñezumimaru

Written by SkippingZombie

Adopted by Aikuchi Shikaku

Chapter 3: "Toll of the Bridge"

Disclaimer: SZ-Naruto isn't mine, per se, I just like writing. Why, is he yours?

N-Not mine.

AS-Don't look at me, my Author's note is at the bottom of the page.

--

Morning came quickly for all those sleeping in the house of Tazuna. Inari still slept silently in his room upstairs. Tsunami and Tazuna were preparing for the days tasks; the former needed to pick up some groceries and the latter needed to get ready for work. Sakura was also awake, and doing breathing exercises. Kakashi slept face down in the unfamiliar bed, and Sasuke was just beginning to stir. Naruto awoke with the familiar comfort of his web surrounding him. He yawned and stretched and disposed of the hammock after stepping outside to the cool touch of the morning air. He heard the birds sing a sweet tune just beyond the cover of a thin mist that was present. Naruto breathed the scent of the dew-touched grass, and saw a raccoon lazily wobbling near the tree line. He couldn't deny that this place was of great beauty, and he was glad to be staying for a while.

He ventured into the forest in search of a stream to wash up in. He did this more out of impulse than need, for there was plenty of water to be had for bathing back at Tazuna's house. He quickly located a suitable spot several hundred yards in, and stripped.

The water was frigid, but not in an unpleasant way. He took ten or so minutes to relax, then climbed out and redressed. He then wandered back the way he had come.

He stopped short when he noticed a figure crouched in the grass of to his left. He approached cautiously, and was slightly surprised to see what appeared to be a young. She had dark hair and was wearing a strange robe that could pass for a dress. This was tied back with a simple sash. She looked up from her work and spoke.

"Hello there. Who might you be?"

"Me?" Naruto asked stupidly. "I'm just passing this way. I'm nobody, really."

"You have the appearance of one with a strong story. There is no need to tell me, however."

"I suppose you have a story as well? Everybody has a story." Naruto looked at her steady gaze. Something did not sit right about this person.

She blinked, and then changed the topic rather abruptly, "Do you have someone in your life that you care about? Someone that cares deeply for you?"

"I-" _What was she asking? Who is she?_ "Why? And it's none of your business!"

She nodded curtly "I suppose not. But it is a good question. Your eyes are those of someone who is alone in the world. I know the feeling. I was the same way. Be careful of who you trust, but make sure that you trust someone, at least one other." The stranger lifted from the grass, and began to walk away. "I hope you find happiness." And as an afterthought, she added, "I'm a boy, by the way." Then he was gone.

_Huh?_ Naruto was stumped. _That guy was prettier than Sakura! And what did he mean by those things he said?_ It was true that Naruto had a few human connections, but he had always seen that as strengthening his information network, bounty hunting took a lot of information gathering. Could he have been wrong?

He wondered why he was questioning himself on the matter. He hadn't felt the need for close contact with people, such is the life of a bounty hunter. But as of late- was that the reason he was staying with squad seven for their task? Or was it just the bounty?

Naruto shook his head and returned to the house. As he moved silently inside, he heard the movements of the others. Everybody, save Inari, was downstairs. Kakashi approached him.

"I'm taking Sasuke and Sakura out for some training after breakfast, before we need to leave to protect Tazuna. Want to tag along?" The kumo-oni struck up a thinking pose, then nodded.

"I guess so. What sort of training?" There was a brief pause, before Kakashi answered him.

"…We'll see." Kakashi's exposed eye turned into an upside-down letter U, indicating that he was smiling. Whether he was smiling at his answer, or mocking Naruto, it didn't sit well with the bounty hunter. Tsunami then chose this moment to call for their attention.

"Breakfast is served! Come on over everyone!"

Tsunami had laid out a banquet of fresh fruit and bread. Naruto rushed to the table, and began to devour what was within reach. Sasuke, Tazuna, Sakura and Kakashi seated themselves a bit more daintily, and began to eat.

"Inari, breakfast is ready!" Tsunami called. When he didn't appear right away, Tsunami called again. But he didn't reply back.

"He was out for most of the day yesterday; let him sleep for a little longer." Tazuna said this rather disinterestedly and continued eating.

After the entire meal was consumed, Kakashi told the two young ninja and one bounty hunter to get ready for the training he had mentioned. Sasuke was ready almost immediately, and the other two were soon likewise. They then began to trek into the forest.

--

Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were standing in the middle of a grove of exceptionally tall trees. The sun provided the group with little light, as it was still early. Some of the mist had dissipated, but the horizon line was still hazy.

"Why are we out here, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, trying to see the top of the tree in front of her.

"Today, I'm going to teach you tree-climbing techniques." Kakashi tossed a kunai to each of the youths. "Use that to mark your progress on the trunk. I'll demonstrate," Kakashi walked over to the base of his own tree, and placed his hands into the ram seal, while molding chakra. "You need to maintain a constant balance on the soles of your feet. Use your chakra to hold yourself in place." He began striding up the vertical surface.

"Hey! I can do that, easy!" Naruto climbed up the tree to the first of the branches. His form was slightly shakier than Kakashi's, but he did not fall. When he reached a solid branch, he carefully positioned himself on the bottom so he was completely upside down

"You really should have taught these two to do this right after their graduation, like most sensei. I don't even have a teacher, and I can do it pretty well." Naruto smirked and concentrated on staying put.

"What?" Sakura glared at Kakashi, and she was soon joined by Sasuke's icy stare. "Not only are you late to every meeting that YOU set, but you're slacking off on our training?!" the copy nin, being found out, chuckled while waving his hand at his genin squad.

"Hey hey,. I'm teaching you now, aren't I? Naruto, perhaps you should go on and take the first shift of guarding Tazuna by yourself. I'll stay here and help these two learn this."

"No problem! Leave it to me!" Naruto righted himself and began racing back to Tazuna's place. He swung from tree to tree, as was the fastest method of travelling in the dense growth.

Kakashi turned back to his glaring pupils. "What? Do you want to learn or not?"

"Yes, that would be more like it." Muttered Sakura, and the two genin listened intently to Kakashi as he explained more about the technique.

--

It was still about ten minutes before Tazuna had to leave, so Naruto wandered the house, looking for something to do. He was approached by Tsunami shortly after.

"Could you wake up Inari for me? He's not answering my calls. Tell him he needs to do his laundry right now."

"Okay. I don't have anything better to do, I guess." The blonde replied while climbing the stairs to Tazuna's upper floor.

Naruto quietly slipped into his room, snickering. He carefully lifted Inari from the covers, and brought him down the stairs into the wash room, where he tossed him into the still pool of water.

"YAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" Inari immediately awoke and thrashed about in the pool. Naruto laughed freely, until Inari was able to climb out.

"What the hell was that for?! What's the big idea?!" Inari leapt at Naruto and lunged at him with clenched fists, but he simply sidestepped the attack.

"Good morning, Inari. Tsunami told me to wake you up, so take it up with her. She says you need to do your laundry." Naruto turned and sauntered happily back into the main part of the house, and sat down, waiting for Tazuna to prepare to leave. He might have dozed off for a minute, because suddenly Tazuna was standing beside him, telling him he was ready to go.

Naruto whooped and followed the old bridge builder outside, down the path towards the bridge. He kept careful watch all around, but nothing suspicious happened. He had expected as much, as Zabuza would need a while to rest, and perhaps Gato was just waiting for the right moment as well. When they did come, Naruto would be ready.

--

SKIPPINGZOMBIE WAS HERE

AS WAS NEZUMIMARU

AIKUCHI SHIKAKU says that this chapter had a few adjustments and touchups. Chapter 4 will be ready in a short while.


	4. Inari's Stand

SpiderFox

SpiderFox

Story by Nezumimaru

Written by SkippingZombie

Adopted by Aikuchi Shikaku

Chapter 4: "Inari Stands"

Disclaimer: SZ-Not mine, still, it isn't.

N-Wish it were.

AS-Bah, I'd just muck it up if I owned it. And you won't even bother reading or watching it.

--

-5 Days Later-

Kakashi returned with Sakura and Tazuna in tow to Tazuna's house. As they entered they caught sight of a strange scene. Naruto and Sasuke were sitting at the table, both with some of their clothes draped on chairs. They were obviously playing strip poker, and if Sasuke in his boxers was any indication, Naruto was winning by quite a margin.

"Four of a kind" Naruto placed his hand down, smirk crossing his lips. Sasuke grumbled disdainfully, but was saved from further humiliation when the two of them noticed the new onlookers, especially when Sakura squeaked at seeing her crush in this state of undress.

"Yikes! I thought you three'd be gone 'till dusk!" Naruto pulled his shirt back on, and Sasuke took his pile of clothes into the next room.

"What the hell were you doing?!" screeched Sakura. Although, technically, she didn't really mind the spectacle of Sasuke. In fact, she wondered how Naruto had coerced Sasuke into playing. **"C**_**ha! Probably with blackmail, or something sinister."**_Inner sakura speculated.

"I was winning." grinned Naruto proudly. "And I was training Sasuke in trying not to broadcast his next move or intention, a skill that many shinobi need to learn. A ninja needs to be prepared for anything, anywhere, anytime! We need to be strong in every way to kick Gato back down to hell!"

"So why were you playing strip poker?" The pink haired kunoichi asked Naruto with some heat in her voice. Naruto shrugged non-chalantly.

"'Cuz people tend to get better a lot faster when under threat of pain or humiliation."

Kakashi was very impressed with Naruto's gambling skills, although his training methods might not be the best, in his opinion. His train of thought was interrupted, though, as Inari showed up.

"Why should you waste your time training? You can't make a bit of difference. The best man in my eyes was powerless against him. What makes you so different? HOW CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN DO ANYTHING SPECIAL?! YOU'LL JUST DIE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!" Inari screamed with tears streaming down his face, and he fled outside. Tazuna was about to follow, when Kakashi held up his hand.

"Let me speak to him. Please." Kakashi excused himself from the room, and walked into the late afternoon sun. He quickly found Inari, sitting on the edge of the deck, sniveling.

"Tazuna told me, Inari. I know about your mentor and surrogate father." Kakashi had been told about Inari's 'dad' a day before, when he asked Tazuna. Inari's mentor and 2nd father had been killed fighting for righteousness against Gato's power.

"You've got to understand that Naruto knows what he's doing. He's been fighting to survive most of his life. He understands the risks."

"He doesn't understand how… it feels to lose…" Inari stopped mid-sentence and buried his head in his knees.

"He does, Inari. Naruto really does understand. You see…" Kakashi told Inari the story that Naruto had told a few nights before. Kakashi told how Naruto's life had been a struggle since he was a child. He told how almost everybody that Naruto had known was killed. He explained that Naruto was completely alone in the world.

"Then how… how did he not end up like me?" Inari had stopped crying and was staring back at Kakashi's one eye.

"What do you mean?"

"He's not weak like I am. He's so sure of himself. He's strong, and I'm… pathetic. I can't stop crying." The tears had returned.

"Then stop. You can grow strong, just like Naruto. You can be as strong as you want, if you are willing to work for it."

Inari hugged his knees and considered the thought. Then he said. "Thank you for telling me," stood up, and walked back inside the house, up the stairs, and returned to his room.

--

It had been nearly a week since the protective ninja had shown up. Tazuna and Tsunami had grown quite used to them. They fell into a sort of routine. They shouldn't have relaxed, however, for today would be quite different.

Sasuke, Kakashi and Sakura had gone ahead with Tazuna to the bridge, leaving Naruto behind to oversee Tsunami and Inari. The day started out pretty normally, until high noon, when things began to fall apart.

Ok, since SkippingZombie's having technical difficulties at home, I will be continuing this chapter. I apologize in advance if the quality decreases. – Nezumimaru

AT THE BRIDGE

As the three ninjas and their ward arrived at the bridge, they found all the workers were all unconscious. With their wounds that they had and lack of beer bottles, they ruled out drinking on the job. So what could have done this?

"About time you showed up. I was getting impatient."

The four turned around to see Zabuza and his "hunter-nin" companion. Kakashi motioned for Sasuke and Sakura to get into a defensive stance around Tazuna as he drew a kunai from his hip holster.

"We figured you'd show up again. Our six-armed friend saw through your little act, so sorry if you were expecting us to be surprised." Kakashi looked over his shoulder to his students. "Stay with Tazuna. Zabuza and I have some…unfinished business."

Zabuza chuckled, "Ah, I was hoping to have the element of surprise actually, but no matter, I _will_ finish you this time. Oh, and you should be a little more worried about your students, because this time, I'm not alone! Haku!" With that, the fake hunter-nin dashed forward, throwing several senbon at Sasuke. He swiftly drew a kunai, deflecting the senbon with ease.

He called to Sakura, "Take Tazuna and back away, this is my fight." He and Haku then went into a deadlock, his kunai vs. his senbon. Sakura didn't need to be told twice, as she motioned Tazuna to the edge of the unfinished bridge while Kakashi and Zabuza exchanged blows and Sasuke went into a speed match with Haku.

AT TAZUNA'S HOUSE

"Inari! Could you come help me with the laundry?" "One sec, momma, I'm washing my hands!"

Naruto had left the house momentarily to set traps around the perimeter, leaving Tsunami and Inari to do house work. Inari continued to wash his hands thinking about what Kakashi told him just the day before. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from the entrance hall, followed by an even louder scream. Inari quickly ran to the living room to find two strange men with swords over his mother who was backed into a wall.

"Old man Tazuna's daughter, eh? Gato wants you as a bargaining chip, so ya better come nice and easy like." said one of the men, who had clown-like eye liner on. Inari froze, and did the only thing he could think of, "MOMMA!!" Not the brightest thing to do.

"Wah?" the other man, who wore an eye patch, turn to see Inari. "Hey, Zouri, should we take the kid, too?" "We only need one hostage, Waragi." Waragi smirked, "How unfortunate then," he then started to draw his blade, "for the kid, heh heh heh."

Tsunami then yelled, "STOP!" The two men turned to her, "If you even touch my son, I will bite through my tongue and drown in my blood, so what will you do for a live hostage then?!"

Zouri turned back to Inari, "Ya better be grateful to ya ma, kiddo." Waragi just grimaced, "Ahh, but I was dying to cut something up!" But he sucked it up and took Tsunami by the arm. "Come on, let's go!" The two thugs forced Tsunami out the door, leaving Inari, who had started crying.

'Why am I so weak? Why couldn't I do anything but cry?' He then remembered what Kakashi said, about how he could be strong, like Naruto, and what his dad Kaiza said when they first met, about how even if you are weak, you can be strong if you're defending what is precious to you. 'I know what I gotta do, I gotta stop crying, I gotta be strong, like Dad, and Naruto…' And with that, Inari raced out the door, after Zouri and Waragi.

"Wait!" He called out to them. "Hey, the brat's back…..Can I cut 'im up now?" Zouri sighed, "Yeah, I guess." He drew his sword with his partner, "But let's make it quick. Boss hates ta be waitin'." The two made a quick slash each to Inari, but he turned into a log with a poof. The two were shocked.

"**Substitution Jutsu**?" Suddenly they felt a slight tug at their legs, but before they could see what it was, the found themselves hanging up-side down, all strung up in a very sticky rope. At least they thought it was rope. Then they felt something hit the back of their necks, making them pass out unconscious. Someone chuckled from the shadows of the house.

"Hope you guys have a good nap!" was all they heard before Naruto slipped from the shadows outside Tazuna's home, and into the light. Inari looked up at his savior.

"Naruto!" Said spider-nin looked back at him. "Ya did a very brave thing, Inari. Stupid, but brave none the less." Inari huffed with indignity.

"Though, you did distract them enough so that I could string them up. Good work!" Naruto placed a hand on Inari's head, and ruffled his hair; the spider-nin felt pride for the youngster.

"You're growing up, ain't ya?" Inari grinned. Naruto turned away. "Go take your mom back inside. If Gato's thugs showed up here, then they're bound to be at the bridge, too. That's where I'm heading. Ja ne." And with that, Naruto leaped off towards the bridge, to the final confrontation.

--

SkippingZombie--Yeah, sorry for the long wait, I had technical troubles. But I'm working on chapter 5 once it's past!

Nezumimaru--I also apologize for the delay. I hope you find this chapter to be satisfactory to your liking. Please read and review. We both would like to know how we are doing.

Aikuchi Shikaku--Some minor editing, again. Not much to report here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.


	5. Battle on the Bridge

Spider Fox

Spider Fox

By Nezumimaru

Adopted by Aikuchi Shikaku

Chapter 5: "Battle on The Bridge"

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I just write for fun.

AN: I am sad to say but SkippingZombie is to busy to write for a while, and therefore can no longer write Spider Fox. I will continue in his stead. –Nezumimaru

As Naruto neared the bridge, he noticed that the mist around him was getting too thick to be natural. _'Therefore,'_ he thought, _'Zabuza's here and is most likely fighting One-Eye. And if that bogus hunter-nin really is working with him, Emo-Boy and Pink-Hair will need some help fighting him off.'_

He then jumped up to the top of one of the cranes at the bridge. _'Going in close in this mist would be suicide, as Zabuza is infamous for his Silent killing techniques and is more than capable at fighting close-range on sound alone. I gotta go sniper style if I want to be of any help.'_

**Secret Jutsu: Spider Bow Initial Split**

He started to make a bow out of Sticky Spider Silk and formed it in his front four hands while his back two hand moved his headband to his neck, revealing a third eye on his forehead. _'Luckily for me,'_ he thought as he made an arrow and knocked it into his bow, pulling the string back with one arm and his arrow with two, 'this fog won't affect me.' His eyes then changed from blue orbs to red slits.

**(AN: No it's not the Sharingan. If you can guess what it is, you get a cookie.)**

WITH SASUKE

'_This is not good.'_ thought Sasuke. He was stuck in some sort of domed ice prison, which his masked opponent could use to move at near invisible speeds and was using him as a pin cushion. And from the sounds of things, Kakashi's having a hard time keeping up with his opponent as well. At least not everything was bad. Sasuke finally awoke his Sharingan, which was a plus. It's just surviving to use it again that was not looking good.

"Damn," he muttered, "It can't end like this. I can't die now. Not until I kill my brother." He dodged another senbon, which nicked his shin. Suddenly, he felt something, like something was coming at a fast speed, from _outside_ the dome, and that he should move _NOW_. Sasuke jumped to the side, nearly slamming into one of the ice mirrors. That tingling at the back of his neck was right. What looked like an arrow smashed through one of the upper mirrors, shattering it to pieces, then smashed through another. Looking at the arrow, he saw that it was tipped with…a gold boxing glove? 'Who does this guy think he is, Green Arrow?' He then remembered, this was the same kind of arrow that hit Zabuza's Water Clone a week or so ago.

'_That means…that spider-freak is here!_ _Talk about good timing!_' not that he would admit it..

Unfortunately, the fake hunter-nin was not in either of the two broken ice mirrors. He looked at the arrow, then towards the direction it came from. Another arrow came whizzing through the fog, straight at the hunter-nin's face!

A sickening sound of something piercing flesh was heard, followed by the masked-nin falling to the ground, blood splattering the area where he fell. Sasuke was just about to check to see where the arrow hit when the nin slowly rose with a groan, clutching his side. He was able to move out of the way of the arrow just in time to avoid a direct hit, but it still cut deep into his side. Not deep enough to be a fatal wound, but deep enough to inhibit his movement. The fall had made a crack in his mask.

Naruto then landed next to Sasuke, facing the nin. "'Ya know, that first shot was to make you look." he said with a smirk. "Guess you're a little faster than I thought."

"Indeed." replied the fake hunter-nin, taking a step back. The tables had turned. The nin was now wounded and outnumbered. His mask continued to crumble, revealing his face.

"Wait," Sasuke spoke up, confused, "I thought that was a guy."

"I _am_ a guy." said the no-longer-masked-nin, "My name is Haku." Sasuke went slacked jawed. This was a guy?!

'_He looks even prettier than my fangirls!' _And that was saying something. He then heard Naruto speak up.

"Hey, you're that kid I met in the forest a few days ago." Haku looked at Naruto,

"Yes, yes I am." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So that talk about precious people, you were talking about Zabuza, huh?" Haku nodded.

"That is also correct." Sasuke knitted his brow as he asked Haku more questions.

"Zabuza's your master? What makes him so special? He's a low-life merc! He's…"

"He's the one who saved me from the darkness." Haku finished him. "I see it in your eyes. You both know the pain I felt. The pain of loss loved ones, the pain of loneliness." The two looked at each other, then back at Haku.

"Before Zabuza, I was precious to someone…..to…..my parents." He glanced down, eyes full of sadness. "I came from a snowy village in Water Country, where lines were feared."

"Water Country?" Naruto inquired, "So you're a survivor of the Crusades, too? Like me?" Haku looked back to Naruto.

"So you lost your family to the Crusades as well? Then you understand that many people had killed others simply because they had a bloodline limit ability." Naruto nodded, confirming this.

"My mother was from a clan with a bloodline, the ability to combine water and wind chakra to make ice jutsu. And my father found out, and he killed her and tried to kill me. In the end, his blood stained my hands." Haku faced the direction where the sounds of two nin fighting was heard, continuing his story.

. "Since then, I was all alone, with no one to care for me," He turned his head to the others, "But then Master Zabuza found me, and gave me a purpose. He said that I was to be his tool, his weapon." Tears started to form and fall down his cheeks.

"Never before was I so happy. Because of that, Master Zabuza has become my precious person, and I am willing to fight, to kill, and to die to help him further his goals. But now," Haku said as he turned back to his opponents, "I have failed him, I have become weak. And Master Zabuza has no use for weak tools."

Sasuke grimaced, "So you're just going to let us kill you, just because you think Zabuza might abandon you for being weak." Haku nodded. Naruto raised a hand to his mouth, and pulled out some spider silk, forming it into a golden kunai.

"Maybe, had things been different, it wouldn't have turned out this way," he said as he crouched down, "I'm sorry you feel this way, Haku, and that this has to be the end, but Sasuke needs to finish his mission, I need to collect a bounty, and you're the only thing standing in our way." Naruto then lunged at Haku.

The sound of birds chirping could be heard further down the bridge, followed by a **"LIGHTNING EDGE!" **Haku's eyes widened instantly. His instincts told him that Zabuza was about to die! He grabbed Naruto's hand with the kunai and said, "Now I am the one who is sorry, but I can't die now." and, despite his injury, disappeared in a blur.

The fog started to lift, so Naruto and Sasuke ran to check on Kakashi and the others. They were welcomed by the sight of Kakashi and Zabuza facing each other. Haku was in between them, Kakashi's arm going through his chest. Zabuza then chuckled and said,

"Well done, Haku." With that he started to swing his head chopping cleaver at Kakashi, intending to cut through Haku to get to him. But Kakashi jumped back, then pulled his arm out of Haku and laid his body down on the ground. There was no doubt about it. Haku was dead.

Naruto clenched his teeth, as was about to attack Zabuza when, "Hmph, can't even kill an old man, and being held back by _children_. Some demon you are. More like a baby demon." All heads turned to the edge of the bridge. There, standing in front of a small army of thugs, was a very short man in a business suit and a cast on his right arm.

"Gato? Why are you here? And why did you bring your men?" the tone in Zabuza's voice was very clear, that he most likely already knew the answer.

"It's simple, really. I couldn't hire shinobi from a hidden village, for their leaders would be most angry with me for them after they complete a mission. That's why I hire you rogue nins. You're so desperate for work, that there are no comrades to avenge you when I kill you with thugs. It's much more cost efficient that way." Gato walked over to Haku's body. Kakashi had moved over to Tazuna to provide better protection for him in the inevitable fight ahead.

"He's dead? Pathetic! I really wanted to make him pay for breaking my arm. Now he's nothing more than dead meat, a carcass." He said as he kicked Haku's head.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards the midget.** (Apologizes to short people, but this man deserves no respect.) **Kakashi stopped him,

"Naruto, let it go, we all need to keep a calm head now. Now that Gato has betrayed Zabuza, he has no longer any reason to-" But Naruto cut him off.

"Shut up!" Naruto ran next to Zabuza and pointed at him, "He's still my enemy!" Zabuza looked at Naruto out of the corner of his eye.

"He," Naruto then pointed at Haku, "really cared about you! He gave his life to protect you! And you don't even care?!" Zabuza looked back at the mob, "What am I supposed to do? He's dead now. It doesn't matter."

"He doesn't matter?!" Naruto glared at the former mist-nin, "He was devoted to you! But you just used him and felt nothing towards him! Are you really that heartless? He died, and he will never accomplish the things he wanted to do! Is that really the way you want his life to sound like? That it was for nothing?"

"Brat…" Zabuza said as tears rolled down the sides of his face, "Not, another…word." With his arms rendered useless from his fight with Kakashi and that last sword swing, Zabuza chewed through his face wraps to remove them. "You know, there _is_ one last thing I could do for Haku, to honor his memory. Can I borrow that kunai of yours?" Naruto looked down at the spider silk kunai he forgot he was holding. Realizing what Zabuza was planning on doing, he tossed the kunai to him, which he caught in his mouth. After catching the kunai, Zabuza spoke to the youth as his teeth clenched the weapon.

_**(Author's note: This is a little divergence from Nezumimaru's fic, a plot device which I hope will bring some variety in this fic. It will be represented by two dashes in bold and italic format with my initials following It, and ends with my initials followed by two italic-bold dashes. -Aikuchi Shikaku-)**_

_**--AS**_

"Hey kid, are you good with a sword?" The former demon of the mist asked the six-armed blonde. Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm more of a mid to long range ninjutsu type." Zabuza shrugged and manipulated his newly acquired kunai to loosen his headband, tossing it at the blonde with a swift bow. The blonde of course caught it in mid-flight.

"I might as well give it to you, as it has no use as a grave-marker. My sword and my headband for your kunai. A good deal, eh? I'll be seein' ya, kid." Zabuza grinned devilishly as he nodded at Naruto, as well as Kakashi. He then dashed forward, intent on on killing Gato. The businessman screamed in fear.

_**AS--**_

"Aieee! D-d-don't just stand there! Kill all of them!" Gato ordered his goons as he ran to the back. And they would have, had they not underestimated Zabuza's determination. He cut through them like a hot knife through butter. Those who didn't get out of the way were cut down. Many tried to stop him by sticking various weapons into him, but it did little to slow him down. Soon he came to Gato. With the last of his strength, Zabuza slashed at Gato's neck, effectively severing the man's head. Finishing his task, Zabuza fell over, from his wounds.

"What the hell?" yelled one of the thugs, "He just killed our meal-ticket! Guess we'll just have to loot the village to break even, eh guys?" The hired thugs shouted in unison. "YEAH!" The shinobi and bounty hunter tensed.

"Hey cyclops!" Naruto yelled over to Kakashi, "Don't you have a jutsu that can take all these guys down or something?" Kakashi sighed as he shook his head.

"No. With all the jutsu I used in my fight with Zabuza, I'm out of chakra." But just as the thugs started charging, a small arrow landed right in front of them. Turning around, Naruto and company saw Inari, with every villager in the village. Inari was holding a kid-sized crossbow and the villagers were armed with various farming and construction tools.

"Hey Naruto! That was a really brave thing you did. Stupid, but brave none the less." Inari said with a grin. "Inari," said Tazuna, "All of you…." Naruto then smirked.

"Heh, good one, kid. Mind if I joined ya?" He made a few hand seals and created a good deal of clones under his breath. **(Not Shadow Clones, regular ones.)**

'_Good idea Naruto.' _thought Kakashi, _'We don't need anything solid, just a bluff will do' _Kakashi then also created some clones, though more than Naruto.

"Care to fight now?" Kakashi said. "NO WAY!!" cried the thugs, who started charging…the other way. Many simply jumped over the side of the bridge to get away. The villagers cheered. They won, and they didn't have to do any fighting!

_**--AS**_

Naruto smiled and placed his arms in relaxation positions. With Gato's death, wave country's status and economy will be raised again from poverty, especially with the bridge this close to completion. Sensing movement with his third eye, he saw Zabuza rising from where Gato's headless corpse lay.

"Zabuza!" He ran over and slowly took out the weapons that went through Zabuza's body in his mad dash towards Gato. Squad 7 and their Jounin sensei looked at what was going on, but only observed Zabuza.

"Thanks kid, can you help walk me over to Haku?" Naruto nodded his assent as he moved his arms to support the former mist's demon as they walked, they reached Haku's still warm body soon enough, and Naruto laid down the rogue nin beside his apprentice. Haku's face was serene, smiling even. Glad to have protected his precious person, even if it meant giving up his own life.

As Zabuza touched Haku's face, a snowflake gently landed on his closed eye, and melted.

'_Haku, are you crying?' _Zabuza was also crying as he watched the ever increasing snowflakes descend on the bridge, and everything in its area. Naruto looked up the sky.

"Legends say that the Ice-using clan of water country celebrated births and deaths with snowfall." Zabuza nodded, and was about to close his eyes when he felt six hands travel up his arms. As he looked up, Naruto had fully opened all of his eyes and Zabuza felt a jolt of electricity travel from all over his body straight to his arms. His eyes glazed over for a second before he looked at Naruto in shock.

"That was…" Naruto nodded, and bent down to Zabuza's ear to whisper something, pulling away, Kakashi's sharingan read his lips as he watched the tail end of their conversation.

'…_after all, dead men tell no tales?' _ The curious genin and teacher went over to Naruto's position, but Zabuza only nodded as he chuckled. "Kakashi, I'll see you in hell." Kakashi nodded and looked at his dying opponent with a neutral expression.

"I hope you follow your apprentice in the afterlife, wherever he went."

As Zabuza breather his last, he looked up at the sky and took his last look at the purest snowfall he had ever seen. _'I hope so Kakashi, I hope so…'_

Naruto then turned to everybody. "Everyone, please help Tazuna and his crew to clean up the bridge and the area around it. I'll take care of Haku and Zabuza's bodies." All of them nodded assent, and Naruto used some spider silk to make a makeshift platform for their impending burial.

_**AS--**_

A FEW DAYS LATER

Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura stood in front of two graves. One for Zabuza and one for Haku.

"Hey Naruto," Sakura asked, "I thought you were after Zabuza's bounty, so why didn't you…" Naruto shook his head.

"I was, but now….Zabuza needs to rest in peace. Besides, I still have another bounty to collect on, so I'm good." _'Not to mention what I got out of giving up Zabuza's body and my requests made up a pretty good 2__nd__ prize'_ the blonde kumo-oni grinned inwardly in reflection.

"So, where are you heading now?" asked Kakashi. Naruto looked at him and smirked, "To Konoha." The others were a little shocked, but it quickly passed.

"Well, you're more than welcomed to travel with us. We'd be happy to escort you." Kakashi said, a smile visible under his mask.

"Just as long as you're not being targeted by a corrupt businessman…" Sasuke said with a straight face. Naruto grinned. "Deal."

Soon the four were ready to go, and as a bonus, they would be the first to travel across the now finished bridge. All that was left was to say good-bye to Tazuna and his family.

"Be safe on your journey back." Tazuna said. "Hey, hey! Don't worry, old man! 'Cuz now I'm here to keep them out of trouble!" Naruto said as two arms crossed on his chest and the other four behind his head.

"Hey big brother! You better come back to visit us." Inari said, tears forming in his eyes.

"Of course I will! And I'll tell you all about the adventures I'll have after this." Naruto then noticed Inari trying to hold back the tears. Naruto grinned and produced a spider-silk hankie. Pricking Inari with a senbon from Haku's stores, he dropped blood on it and handed the hankie to the crying kid.

"Hey, kid, it's alright to cry. 'Cuz if you kept yourself from doing so, you'd be denying…your right to be human, and here's a hankie. Keep it as a memento." Inari nodded and wiped his face with the soft sparkling cloth. Naruto then turned and started to walk at the completed bridge of wave

"See ya later!" The three leaf-nin followed, waving good-bye to Tazuna's family.

"Ya know," Tazuna started, "We haven't officially named this bridge yet. How 'bout…..The Great Naruto Bridge, in memory of the boy to touched Inari's heart, and by proxy the hearts of all of Wave Country, building the bridge that took us back to courage and hope." Tsunami giggled, "It's a nice name, Dad."

Nezumimaru--Chapter five done. Sorry for the long wait. Life is really busy lately, what with track and play and stuff. Please enjoy and review, I like to know how I'm doing.

Aikuchi Shikaku—Modifications are done, somewhat. I hope the plot devices I installed will be beneficial for SpiderFox and won't leave me burned. Next chapter is a filler chapter…and no groaning before you read it!

While we're at the topic of chapters, I may or may not merge the succeeding chapters to lengthen them. For example the 1st exam which is in two parts will be merged into one chapter. Oh yeah, I'm trying to avoid some clichés and will be trying very hard not to bash Sasuke or Sakura or Kakashi or anyone for that matter. Let's say the third genre for this story is friendship. I'm cutting the A/N here before it gets longer. BoT:TD suffered through that during editing I'm afraid. Oh yeah, if you want to see the jutsu list, please leave a review, or just head over to leafninjadotcom for info about the Naruto series. I'll also continue to list jutsu in English so I won't have to translate it that much.

Jutsu description:

**Secret Jutsu: Spider Bow Initial Split** – Is a variation of Spider Warbow Horrible Split. Kidoumaru uses this technique in the anime and manga after he uses the level 2 cursed seal form. Naruto's version is a smaller bow with a decreased level of accuracy. The arrow's success of hitting the target also depends on how fast Naruto's opponent can dodge. Ninjutsu unique only to the kumo-oni clan, C-Rank.

Next chapter: Getting to know you; AKA the filler chapter!


	6. Conversations & Meetings in the Leaves

SpiderFox

SpiderFox

By Nezumimaru

Chapter 6: "Getting to Know you AKA Filler & Meeting in the Leaves"

Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape, or form own Naruto. Nor do I own any thing that may be referenced in this story.

A/N: I've decided to merge my filler with chapter 6. Also, I'm going to go with some writers who give Sandaime a first name and jump on that bandwagon. This chapter is the most heavily-edited one so far. 'Nuff said.

--

Chapter filler: Getting to know you

--

After the group of three leaf-ninja and one bounty hunter left the vicinity of wave country and encountered their first copse of trees, Kakashi instructed his genin to use the tree climbing technique for another purpose: tree hopping, which is a vital skill for ninja to have, especially when traveling to places where roads are inaccessible. Naruto was just behind Kakashi as they jumped from branch to branch, keeping enough distance between them for his and Kakashi's jumps. As the position of the sun moved from late morning to high noon, the copy nin directed the group back down to land and located a suitable clearing for them to rest and to eat their rations.

As the konoha shinobi pulled out their ration bars, Naruto pulled out strips of dried meat, making the others a bit curious, especially when they got a whiff of its spicy smell. "If you're wondering what this is, it's called beef jerky. Want some?" as he offered some of the dried meat. Sakura and Sasuke reached out to get a couple each, while Kakashi declined the offer, sticking to his ration bar. Sakura commented about the spicy taste, which was tolerable. Naruto explained the process of making jerky and drying meat to the kunoichi. When questioned by Kakashi that meat contains high concentrations of protein, answered him in the way of a teacher answering his student.

"As a member of the kumo-oni clan, my ninjutsu are based on my spider silk, which is produced in two parts, the glands on the lower part of my mouth and jaw produces the silk which I mix with chakra to get the desired effect to use my ninjutsu in. Spider silk is protein based in nature, so I need a mid to high amount of protein in my diet if I want to make consistently strong spider-silk themed ninjutsu." Kakashi nodded as Naruto finished on his lecture. Sasuke then noticed something.

"Where's that head chopping sword of Zabuza's?" Kakashi was curious to his answer as well, taking time to peek at Naruto from behind the orange book he was reading.

"It's sealed in a scroll, which is inside my backpack. It's too heavy for me to lug it around out in the open." Naruto explained as he gestured to his backpack; which from their view, was packed moderately and still light. Naruto cocked his head and raised his eyebrows. "Sealing items into scrolls is basic and a necessary knowledge to know for genin level shinobi, especially when you need to pack lightly or heavily for different types of missions. Didn't your sensei tell you that?"

Kakashi, who was half-listening to the conversation, felt a minimal drop of temperature as he encountered twin glares from Sasuke and Sakura. The kunoichi answered with gritted teeth. "No. He didn't tell us that, in fact, he hasn't been teaching us much since we became a team…" Kakashi then chuckled nervously.

"Ahahaha…I was going to teach you about sealing things in scrolls after we get back…" the copy nin was sweating inwardly, being found out once again by his team was getting a little too close for comfort. Snapping his orange book and putting it in his pocket, he changed the topic of conversation.

"So, Naruto…we've been working together for a little more than two weeks, but we still don't know much about you. Can't you tell us something about yourself?" Sakura, and inwardly Sasuke, also wanted to know more about the blonde bounty hunter. Naruto took a few sips from his water bottle, and put it back in his pack. "What do you mean, like a ninja type of introduction?" Kakashi nodded. "You go first then, cyclops."

Kakashi nodded and started his introduction. "My name is Hatake Kakashi, my likes and dislikes are none of your business. Dreams for the future? I do have a few hobbies…" Kakashi drifted into silence, and nodded to signal that he was finished introducing himself. Sasuke and Sakura's faces twitched into annoyance, and muttered under their breath. "Just like last time…" Naruto however, was amused.

"So, all I learned from you is your name?" Kakashi nodded as his right eye went into smiling mode. Naruto smiled back, in an annoying way. "I figured you'd only say that much, as it said in the bingo book that you're lazy. Good thing I've read up on your dossier." Naruto cackled as he tossed a folder at the genin, who proceeded to read on Kakashi's info.

"Student of the Yondaime…Rin…Uchiha Obito…mission to Iwa…Sharingan…Howaido Chakra…Hatake Sakumo…Hatake family tanto…Has copied over one thousand jutsu?" Sakura and Sasuke looked at each other, and resumed reading. Naruto was experiencing Kakashi's patented one-eyed glare of indifference, which he promptly ignored.

"Keep the file, it's one of many copies I have on him." The genin nodded as they each put half of the dossier on their packs. Kakashi then motioned for Sasuke to go next, shrugging, Sasuke started to speak.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," Naruto raised an eyebrow in surprise, but nodded for the Uchiha to continue. "I have no likes or dislikes, hobbies are training to become stronger, and learning more jutsu. My dream, no, my ambition…is to kill a certain someone, and revive my clan." Sakura and Kakashi expected no change from Sasuke's introduction from last time. Sakura was next.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. I like…" while glancing briefly at Sasuke. "My hobbies are…" another glance. "My dreams are…" another glance while suppressing her urge to squeal. "And I hate Ino-Pig!" Naruto's eyes twitched in annoyance.

"So Sakura…you LIKE Sasuke, your HOBBIES are STALKING Sasuke and OBSESSING about Sasuke… and your DREAM is to be his wife, live in the Uchiha clan compound, and have Uchiha children with him?" Sakura nodded reluctantly, being easily found out by her acquaintance. Naruto let out a sigh of disappointment. "…and here I was, thinking that you take your job seriously." His reply saddened the kunoichi somewhat, and her head dropped to stare at her lap in shame. Sasuke twitched in annoyance at Sakura, but shrugged it off because she was after all, his only teammate. Kakashi rolled his exposed eye at Sakura's answers and thought _'I thought that the life and death struggle we experienced during the wave mission would change her attitude about being a kunoichi and chasing Sasuke. I guess I was expecting too much…'_ There was a pregnant pause before Naruto began to speak.

"My name is Kumo-Oni no Naruto. My likes are beef jerky and other protein-rich food. Ramen, my clan, what's left of it anyway…and training…my dislikes are the three minutes it takes for instant ramen to cook, fan girls, avengers, the current Mizukage of Hidden Mist, and a certain pale-faced, pedophile Hebi-teme, for taking my clan brother from me." Sasuke raised his eyebrow in annoyance while Sakura slumped further into her tree stump. Kakashi sat up as his ears picked up Naruto's last dislike, which piqued his curiosity.

"My hobbies are learning medical jutsu, anatomy, archery, marksmanship, mid and long range jutsu, ranged weapons like the boomerang and chakram, and inventing more spider-silk themed jutsu, as well as pranking people." _'My secret hobbies are collecting blood, DNA, and certain bodily fluids from kekkei genkai holders, making poisons, and inventing seals and web-type sealing arrays…'_ Naruto added inside his mind.

"My long term dreams are, in no certain order, to kill a certain Hebi-teme, buy a place to build a town or _'hidden'_ village where bloodline limit holders can live in peace and freedom, without fear of oppression and persecution. _'Barring that, taking my chances of possibly killing the Mizukage. And to resurrect the hidden mist to its former glory before the bloodline crusades._' I also want to revive my clan, like Sasuke." Naruto paused to nod at Sasuke, who nodded back in return. "My short term goals are to find my clan brother, and to learn some more jutsu." Naruto finished, and Kakashi nodded. Looking up to the sky, he motioned for the group to continue their journey to hidden leaf.

--

Chapter 6: Meetings in the Leaves

--

Soon the four ninjas arrived at the main gates of Konoha. The trip back was largely uneventful, unless you count that one night……

FLASH BACK NO JUTSU!

A breeze flew over Sasuke. He shivered, awoke, sat up, and looked at the clear night sky. He then nudged Kakashi, who was nearby.

"Hey, sensei..." Kakashi opened one lazy eye, still half-asleep. "Take a look up. What does it mean to you?" Kakashi glanced upward for one second then turn on his side.

"Well, scientifically, it means that there are large balls of gas and fire millions of miles away. Religiously, it means Kami is great and we are inferior. Meteorologically, it means we'll have good weather tomorrow. Why, what does it mean to you?"

Sasuke looked at Kakashi, "Well sensei, it means someone stole our tent." Kakashi's eye opened instantly and he sat up in a flash, looking around in hopes to find out what had happened. Some snickering could be heard a few feet away and Kakashi then knew who was responsible.

"NARUTO!"

FLASH BACK NO JUTSU, RELEASE!!

In the end, Naruto had to carry the bags until they got to Konoha as punishment. Though, Kakashi had to admit, looking back now, it was kinda funny. After clearing with the gate guards to let Naruto through, the four parted ways, Kakashi to report in the mission as successful, and Naruto to the bounty office to turn in the head of Rokusho Aoi. Coming out of the bounty office, the spider-like blonde bumped into someone larger, and more muscled than his body. The owner of said body spoke to him.

"Oh, sorry about that, I didn't see you there." Naruto looked up, and saw a well-muscled and tall male whose head was covered by his leaf headband like a bandana. Naruto spied military type fatigues, heavy boots, and gloves under the black trenchcoat that the man wore. Naruto shrugged his head and grinned at the man. "No biggie, I was a little distracted myself." The man nodded and they parted ways, neither male wanting to introduce themselves to each other. Naruto however, was thinking as he walked over to the bank district to deposit and cash in his bounty slip.

'_I could have sworn someone gave that man's description to me. Hmmn…'_

WITH THE HOKAGE AND SQUAD SEVEN.

"…and that's what happened to the mission, Hokage-sama." Kakashi as he finished his oral report of the mission. The Hokage smiled and steepled his fingers in contemplation, as he digested the details of the C turned A-ranked mission.

"Very well, Kakashi. The mission ranking and difficulty will be raised to A, and your pay will be adjusted accordingly." The fire shadow of Konoha finally spoke, as he handed the mission pay slips to Kakashi and his genin. They then bowed in respect, the Hokage then dismissed the genin, wanting to talk to Kakashi further about their unofficial third member. Sasuke said that he was going home to rest, and Sakura followed Sasuke, trying to get a date with the black-haired avenger.

The Hokage, named Sarutobi Sasuke watched as the genin left the missions office. Turning back to Kakashi, the Sandaime sighed, and searched for the smoking pipe in his drawer, and stuffed some tobacco on it. Lighting it up and taking a puff, the third fire shadow angled his head and looked at his subordinate.

"What do you think of the bounty hunter?" Kakashi settled into his thinking pose as he thought of an answer for his commander in chief.

"He's somewhat of a mystery to me, has moderate skill with ranged weapons, as I saw him use a bow and arrow made from spider-silk. He favors spider-silk themed jutsu and is somewhat loud and annoying sometimes. He also said in his introduction that he studies medical jutsu as well as anatomy, which is a good skill to have, as medical knowledge here in the village is somewhat a needed skill." The Sandaime leaned back into his chair, and asked Kakashi another question.

"Is he trustworthy?" The copy-nin thought for a minute, and then replied. "As trustworthy as a bounty hunter can be trusted, everyone has secrets, especially in a ninja village, so I guess I can trust him somewhat. As far as I'm concerned, he never did something suspicious in his time with our team back in wave."

The Hokage nodded, and dismissed Kakashi with a reminder that he needs to submit his written report about the wave mission by noon tomorrow, and to bring Naruto in his office for an appointment and interview.

When Naruto was finished with depositing his pay and withdrawing a moderate amount of cash for expenses, it was pretty late out, so he went to the forest near the training grounds and spun a large web, connecting it to the higher branches. Securing his pack to one side, Naruto settled down in the middle of the web and fell asleep.

--

Tinkerbell in my web: AKA a meeting with Yamanaka Ino

--

It was about 9:30 AM in the morning. Yamanaka Ino however, was not having a good day. First she fell out of bed, remembered that she had early training today and she was running late, and finally after her team finished training for the day, wound up lost in the woods. She grew up in Konoha, dammit! She shouldn't get lost in the woods. Jumping from tree branch to tree branch, she tried, in vain, to get her bearings. All the while she was thinking of her conversation with Sakura the other day after she came back to the village.

Sakura had been gloating over the fact that she got to be with Sasuke for more than two weeks, and that she completed an A-rank mission. Ino gritted her teeth. _'That annoying little no-talent bitch!'_ Everything she has done after becoming a Genin has always one-upped her. Teaming with Sasuke, getting Kakashi, the number one ninjutsu expert of Konoha as her sensei, getting an A-rank mission, it all bugged her. And it gave Sakura a whole arrogant, I-am-superior-than-thou attitude, despite the fact that she had no skills what so ever beyond the academy jutsus.

In her inner rant of Sakura-bashing, Ino was not watching where she was going and tripped on a branch. Ino let out a scream as she fell down, forgetting her training in tree climbing in panic.

Naruto awoke to the sounds of chirping birds and squirrels rustling in the underbrush. This place was even more peaceful than the last. He will definitely have to stay here for a while. Plus, as the largest Hidden Village in the Elemental Countries, it's bound to have a lot of jobs for a bounty hunter.

Soon the peaceful tranquility was broken by a loud scream, coming from above Naruto. He saw someone falling right into his web, and on top of him! Naruto quickly moved to the branches next to the web, and just as he did, that someone hit the web. Now, Naruto didn't use his strongest spider silk when he used it as a hammock for sleeping in trees out in the open. They were just strong enough to support him. At the speed that the person was falling at, some of the silk broke where it was attached to the trees where Naruto went to sleep, and the web was sticky to anyone who did not match the chakra signature of the one who made them.

In other words, the person was now suspended in mid-air from a few spider silk threads.

Naruto decided to wait a bit and watch the person try to get out before helping. It may provide some entertainment.

As Ino's mind caught up with real time, she found her self caught in something sticky, and it was holding her in mid-air. Looking to see what she was in, she saw that it was some kind of white rope, and it looked like an enlarged form of what spiders made. But the spider that would have made this would have been huge, and spiders don't get that big…..right?

Ino shook her head at the thought, and tried to get herself out of her situation. In the position that she was in, Ino could not reach into her kunai holster and get a kunai to cut this…white rope. So she tried pulling, but it was some really strong material for light-colored rope.

Eventually, Ino resorted to thrashing about, and with each surge she found her self stuck in a new position, but still stuck none the less. She did not realize that she was being watched the entire time. But soon she heard someone chuckling. She tried to turn her head to find out who it was, but in her thrashing her head got caught in some of the sticky "rope", and her wrists and ankles were hog tied behind her back, her stomach facing down.

Naruto then appeared in front of her, upside-down, hanging from a single tread a la Spiderman, and an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "Having trouble?" Ino glared at him, a vein forming on her forehead.

"No, I am not having trouble! I can get out of this easily! I am a kunoichi!" She yelled as she continued to struggle, making no progress on her claim. Naruto rolled his eyes as he continued to grin at the stuck kunoichi, and replied in a sarcastic manner.

"Riiiiiiiiiight; You're not going to get out on your own, that silk is only responsive to the one who made it, and that would be me."

Ino looked at him confused, then noticing his six arms. _'What is this guy?'_ "So, you're some kind of human spider?" Naruto nodded. "So you can make silk come out your ass?" Naruto chuckled as he replied.

"No. Not my ass. I make it in the glands within my mouth and from the spinnerets in my arms and legs."

"That's gross." Ino shuddered. Naruto shrugged in indifference.

"Says you, and I don't care. So do you want me to help ya or not?" Ino shook her head in defiance.

"NO! I can do it myself!" Naruto shook his head in amusement. "You're not listening to me, _ms. kunoichi_. Besides, all you're doing thrashing about has caused your thigh wrappings to get caught in the silk, and are coming undone."

Ino, finally managing to move her head, looked behind her and saw he was right, her thigh bandages were coming undone by the silk. "Keep struggling and they'll be completely undone. Oh, and by the way…what self-confessed kunoichi wear Tinkerbell panties?" Naruto asked, indicating the disney character on Ino's pink panties, which were exposed. Ino turned bright red in embarassment. After forcing her blush down, she bowed her head and conceded in defeat.

"Fine, you can help. But if you tell anyone-" Naruto waved her threat away like someone used to it.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah; I get ya." Naruto said as he grabbed some of the silk in two right hands, and pushed some chakra in to it, causing the chakra flow in the silk to stop. That caused Ino to no longer be stuck to it and it slipped from her skin. Unfortunately, she was still in mid-air. As such, Ino fell for the second time that day. This time though, she had nothing between her and the ground. She landed hard, but she had spun in the air, so she landed on her backside.

"Ow." Ino moaned as she rubbed her now aching rear. Naruto was laughing as he landed next to her, his pack in hand. Ino pointed at him and yelled, "Stop laughing! It's not funny! And couldn't you have put me down a little more gently!?"

Naruto tilted his head, "Well, you landed on your ass, didn't you?" Ino was now fuming. "Why you….!" But before she could continue, Naruto dug into his pack and tossed a pair of boxers to Ino, which smacked her in the face. Ino grabbed them and gave them a look over. They were small, and (In her opinion) an ugly shade of orange. Ino looked back to Naruto with a face that asked him to explain.

"Your thigh wraps aren't any good now, and you probably don't want to head home without something covering your rear, so you can take those. I out grew them as it is, and have been meaning to get rid of them, anyway." Ino huffed, not liking that she had to wear some random guy's clothes, but at the same time she had to in order to keep her dignity, so she quickly put them on over the remains of her wraps.

"Well, I better go. I need to get some chow. See ya later." Naruto turned to leave, waving one hand in the air.

"Wait!" Naruto stopped. "I'm...not really familiar with this section of the woods, and I'm…well…"

"Let me guess, you're lost." Ino's cheeks flamed in embarrassment and anger.

"Yeah" Naruto nodded with a snerk. "Well, I'll lead ya out. Follow me, Tinkerbell."

"My name's not Tinkerbell! It's Ino, Yamanaka Ino!" the girl said with a clenched fist, as if she wanted to bash Naruto's head in, which is very likely what she wanted to do. Naruto stepped back, wary that this new acquaintance of his could get violent in a split second. "Hey now, no need to get violent at me, I did save you from a nasty fall, if indirectly at that." Ino eased into her thinking pose, and frowned.

"Yeah, I guess you _did_ save my _beautiful body_ from permanent bruising and/or scars." Naruto's new acquaintance said as she struck a pose, the six-armed bounty hunter eyed her up and down with a scrutinizing eye, nodded, and said under his breath. "Beautiful? Maybe, but she's somewhat on the thin side…" Ears perking up, Ino turned around and scrunched up her eyes.

"What did you say?" Naruto waved her question away. "Nothing, I was just thinking how a girl like you, and a _kunoichi_ at that, could be lost in your own back yard, I mean, you do live around here, right?" Ino just shrugged while her cheeks flamed once again in embarrassment.

"I was hopping on trees –sensei just taught tree climbing to our team today- while thinking of something that ruined my morning. I miscalculated the next branch and tripped, the next thing I know, I'm stuck on your web. Damn Sakura-"

"Sakura? As in Haruno Sakura? She mentioned you as 'Ino-Pig' when she formally introduced herself to me as a ninja." Naruto enquired and explained. Ino's cheeks flamed in anger at Sakura's pet-name for her, nodded, and questioned Naruto how he knew her rival for Sasuke's affections. "I was involved in their last mission that turned very deadly, I'm a bounty hunter by profession, and at that time I was chasing my target, who was one of their opponents, an A-rank missing-nin by the name of Momochi Zabuza. The name's Kumo-oni no Naruto by the way. Nice ta meet ya." Naruto held out one of his hands for Ino to shake, which she did.

"Nice to meet you too, spider-teme." Naruto frowned at his new acquaintance."Hey now, be nice. I could take my pants back and leave you lost in the woods, ya know." Ino huffed in affirmation.

"Don't remind me."

--

Nezumimaru—Finis. Naruto and Ino meet at last, and take to a rocky start. This is the kind of meeting that had the most favor in my mind. There were others, but this seemed to be the funniest.

Aikuchi Shikaku – Well, that's that. I think this is the longest chapter so far. So, what do you think? Please leave a review, whether it's negative or positive criticism, I like hearing input and opinions from people. But take note that I read reviews with a bucketload of salt. This is still my (adopted) fic, and I call the shots. Anyway, I gave Naruto the option to cast spider silk (the white kind) from the spinnerets in his arms and legs. The gold spider silk is made by his skin glands and mouth, which solidifies and hardens when in contact with air and/or oxygen. Expect to see more spider-themed jutsu and more modifications of the succeeding chapters. I'll answer some reviews in chapter 7.


End file.
